Tobacco curer



Aug. 21, 1956 J. T. LEE 2,759,721

TOBACCO CUREJR Filed Nov. 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 20 Fig. 5

Jessie 7. L as IN VEN TOR.

Aug. 21, 1956 Filed Nov. 6, 1953 J. T. LEE

TOBACCO CURER Fig.2

2 Sheet s-Sheet 2 Jess/e 71 Lee INVENTOR.

United States P t 2,759,721 TOBACCO CURER Jessie T. Lee, Wilmington, N.C.

Application November 6, 1953, Serial No. 390,660

3 Claims. Cl. 263-19 i This invention relates to a tobacco curer andmore particularly to a tobacco curer which is smokeless and automatic inoperation.

An object of this invention is to provide a tobacco curer for use intobacco barns comprising a casing having curing means and coloring meansmounted therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tobacco curerhaving a heat diffusing hood mounted for adjustment on a casing havingheat producing means therein.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tobacco curerhaving a heat diffusing hood which hood can be adjusted to direct theheat from the curer in a desired direction.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a tobacco curerfor use in tobacco barns comprising a casing adapted to be placed on thefloor of the barn and having an air inlet duct leading from outside thebarn to the interior of the casing.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the preferred form of the presentinvention, showing the casing of the tobacco curer mounted on a platformwithin a tobacco barn and having an air duct extending through the wallof the barn;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the tobacco curer forming thesubject of this invention;

Figure 3 is a top view of the preferred form of the present invention,with parts of the hood broken away to show the mounting of the burnerswithin the casing;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the section line 4-4of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the section line55 of Figure 2 and showing the mounting of the burners.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, it will beseen that the improved tobacco curer forming the subject of thisinvention includes, as shown in Figure l, a casing having a hood 12mounted thereon, and an air duct 14 secured thereto and communicating atone end with the air outside the barn 16. The tobacco curer is placed atan angle to the sides of the barn and the air duct 14 is provided with abend at the mid-portion so that the end of the duct 14 extending throughthe wall of the barn 16 will be perpendicular to the wall.

A platform 18 is provided within the barn upon which the casing 10 isadapted to rest. The casing 10 is formed of a pair of upper side walls20 which are joined at opposite ends to vertical V-shaped end plates 22.The lower edges of the side walls 20 are spaced from one another. Theconduit 14 is provided with a trough-like extension 26 which trough-likeextension is connected "ice at its upper edges to the lower edges of theside walls 20. The trough-like extension 26 extends beyond the end wall22 which is opposite the air duct 14 to form a control box 28. Thecontrol box 28 is provided with an opening in the top thereof as at 30.

A plate 32 is mounted within the casing 10 below the lower edges of theside walls 20. The plate 32 divides the interior of the casing 10 into acombustion chamber and an air inlet chamber. Two gas burners 34 and 36are secured to the upper surface of the plate 32 by means of brackets38. The burner 34 constitutes a coloring burner for the tobacco and theburner 36 constitutes a curing burner for the tobacco.

The burners 34 and 36 are of the conventional ribbon type burner. Theyare formed of a pipe having a longi-. tudinal slot along one sidethereof and having a plurality of corrugated ribbons disposed within theslot. Each burner is provided with a conventional Venturi for mixing airwith gas, which Venturi is positioned within the control box 28. Controlvalves 40 are positioned within the control box 28 for regulating thefiow of gas to the burners. Lines 42 lead from a suitable source of fuelto the control valves 40.

The plate 32 is provided with a plurality of apertures 44 which allowair to pass from the trough-like extension 26 into the'combustionchamber for aiding in the burning of the gas. The side walls 20 are alsoprovided with a plurality of apertures 46 for allowing the air from thebarn to circulate through the casing 10. The air entering the casing 10through the apertures 46 will be heated by the burners 34 and 36 andwill be recirculated into the barn.

The difiusing hood 12 is formed of a lower horizontal plate having anupper curved plate secured at its edges to the edges of the lower plate.The hood 12 is open at both ends to permit air to circulate through thehood from end to end. The hood 12 is pivotally secured to the casing 10so as to allow the heated air from the casing to be directed to adesired place within the barn. The pivotal mounting for the hood 12comprises a pair of ears 48 extending upwardly from the side walls 20.One of the ears 48 is secured to each of the side walls 20. The hood 12is provided with a pair of ears 50 extending downwardly from each sidethereof. The ears 50 are pivotally secured to the ears 48 on the sidewalls 20. In this manner the angle at which the hood 12 rests withrespect to the casing 10 can be adjusted.

Means are provided for maintaining the hood 12 in adjusted position.This means comprises a leg 52 extending downwardly from one end of thehood 12. One end wall 22 of the casing 10 is provided with a bracket 54for receiving the lower end of the leg 52. The leg 52 loosely fitswithin the bracket 54. The bracket 54 is provided with a plate 56therein which has extending from one side thereof a screw 58. The screw58 extends through an opening in the side of the bracket 54. The screw58 is provided with means on the end thereof for imparting rotation tothe screw. The aperture in the bracket 54 is internally threaded so thatrotation of the screw 58 will move the plate 56 against the leg portion52 to frictionally engage the same. There is thus pro vided a means forsecuring the hood 12 in adjusted position.

In practical use, the casing 10 is placed within a -tobacco curing barnwith the conduit 14 extending through the wall of the barn to theoutside. The conduits 42 are connected to a suitable source of fuel. Theburner 34 is first turned on to provide a low amount of heat forcoloring the tobacco. Air entering the conduit 14 which extends outsideof the barn will pass under the casing 10 allowing some of the air topass upwardly through the The burner 36 will be turned on after thedesired 7 coloring of the tobacco is obtained in order to cure thembflCOL The fiumes of combustion be exhausted; finorm the; casing 10:into the barn to aid in the coloring and curing oil the tobacco. Thehood 12. canbe adjusted with respect to the casing to direct theheatfrom the casing towards a cool spot in the barn. Air will circulatethrough; the hood: from end to end to: aid in the difiusion of the heatthroughout the barn.

From the foregoing; the construction and operation ofi the device. willbe. readily understood? and funtherexplana lion is believed to beunnecessary; However, since nu menous: modifications and changes willreadily: occur to those; skilled in. the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact constnuction: shown and described, andaccordingly allsuitabl'e modifications: and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the app ed cl What is claimed as new:isas follows:

1;, A tobacco. curercomprising an inlet? duct having an. elongatedtrough-likeextension at one, end adapted to, be placed. on the floon ofa tobacco barn and having its other end extending outside; the bat-n acasing includ ing end walls' and upwardly diverging side walls extending upwardly from said trough-like extension, an elongated apermredplate mounted in said trough-like extension in spaced relationship tothe bottom thereof, elongated slotted burner pipes supported on saidapertured plate within said casing and a plurality of openings in theside walls of said casing.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said elongated trough-likeextension extends, beyond one end wall of said casing to form a controlbox carrying fuel valves and air mixing venturi's connected to saidelongated slotted burner pipes.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein a hollow, open-ended diffusinghoodis, pivotally supported on the side walls of said casing inspacedrelationship to the open top of said casing, co-operating meansbeing provided on one side wall of said casing and the corresponding endof said diffusing hood for maintaining said hood in adjusted position.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED $TATES. PATENTS2511245014: Mal-Y3, July 19-, 1-938 2,191,925; Spikes Apr; 16, 19402,2785284 Flow et; al Feb. 17; 1942 25%,621- Ma-YG NOV. 134, 1950

